Martin Bormann

Martin Bormann (17 June 1900-2 May 1945) was Chief of the Nazi Party Chancellery from 12 May 1941 to 2 May 1945, succeeding Rudolf Hess. In this post, he was the deputy fuhrer under Adolf Hitler, and he committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin.

Biography
Martin Bormann was born in Wegleben, Prussia, German Empire on 17 June 1900, and he joined the Imperial German Army too late in World War I to see any action. Bormann joined the Freikorps in 1922 while working as the manager of a large estate, and Bormann and Rudolf Hoess were both imprisoned for the murder of DVFP member Walter Kadow, who had betrayed Albert Leo Schlageter to the French authorities in the Ruhr. Bormann joined the Nazi Party in 1927 and the SS in 1937. He served as chief of staff to Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess from July 1933 to May 1941, creating an extensive bureaucracy and ensurinf that he was also a decision-maker. He became a member of Adolf Hitler's inner circle, becoming his personal secretary in 1935. In 1941, he became Chief of the Party Chancellery, replacing Hess, who had parachuted into Britain with the goal of negotiating a peace deal. He was a leading proponent of the persecution of Christian churches (especially the Catholic Church) and supported the harsh treatment of Jews and Slavs in German-occupied lands.

On 16 January 1945, Bormann arrived at the Fuhrerbunker in Berlin as the Red Army advanced through Poland and towards Germany, and he stayed by Hitler's side during his last weeks. On 2 May 1945, after Hitler's suicide, Bormann attempted to flee the city, but he ultimately killed himself alongside Ludwig Stumpfegger near the Lehrter Bahnhof.